Paco Durrio

Francisco Durrio de Madrón, known as Paco Durrio (22 May 1868, Valladolid - 30 August 1940, Paris)[1] was a Spanish sculptor, ceramicist and goldsmith; of French descent. He worked in the Art Nouveau and Symbolist styles.

The Guitarist; a portrait of Paco Durrio by Paul Gauguin (c.1900)

Life and work

His father was a basket maker from France and the family name was originally "Durrieu".[2] He received his initial training in Bilbao, then went to Madrid in 1881, where he trained with the sculptor, Justo de Gandarias. In 1888, he moved to Paris; joining a group of artists centered around Paul Gauguin and, from 1893 to 1895, sharing a studio with him. During this time, he was largely involved with ceramics.

Monument to Arriaga

His first solo exhibit took place in 1896 and, in 1900, he participated in a major Modernist exhibition in Bilbao. In 1901, he moved into a studio in Montmartre, which was taken over by Pablo Picasso in 1904. That year, he built his own home nearby and installed a huge ceramic kiln. He would live there until 1939. He helped Picasso create his first ceramic works in 1905.[3]

After 1905, he began work on a memorial to the composer, Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga but, rather than portraying the composer himself, he chose to depict the muse, Melpomene, playing a lyre. As a result, the statue was not erected until almost thirty years later, in 1933. Overall, the most positive criticism was reserved for his ceramics. He was also a devoted art collector; acquiring numerous works by his contemporaries, including a large number by Gauguin.

He died poor and almost forgotten in a Paris hospital. In 1945, after the war, a major retrospective was held at the Salon d’Automne and a large selection of his jewelry went on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[2] In 2013, the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao held another retrospective that included pieces from his art collection.

References
  1. The Collection: Francisco Durrio @ Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao
  2. Paco: El mejor amigo de otros artistas Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine @ Modernismo98y14
  3. Julio González, collection du Musée national d'art moderne, (Brigitte Léal, Ed.) Éditions Musée National d'Art Moderne, 2007, ISBN 978-2-84426-323-0

Further reading
  • Kosme de Barañano, Tomás Llorens: Francisco Durrio y Julio González. Orfebrería en el cambio de siglo (Colecciones del MNCARS). Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid 1997, ISBN 84-8026-077-7
  • Maria Amezaga Massalleras: Paco Durrio: viviendo en París (Bilbainos Recuperados series). Muelle De Uribitarte Editores, Bilbao 2013, ISBN 978-84-939946-6-2
  • Javier González de Durana, Miriam Alzuri, María Amezaga: Francisco Durrio (1868–1940). Sobre las huellas de Gauguin, Exhibition catalog. Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, Bilbao 2013, ISBN 978-84-96763-43-2
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